PDA is ever present in the halls of PMHS, from holding hands to a quick peck on the cheek, to turning the corner of the hall and seeing an alarming kiss. The question is, where should the line be drawn with these intimate acts in school?
In an anonymous survey given to PMHS students one particpant said, “I would say hand holding, hugging, is fine, but anything besides that is uncomfortable to be around.”
While holding hands and a quick hug might be acceptable, seeing more vivid displays of affection can be off-putting to some students “Extensive makeout session; that’s a little odd, snuggling in class like little spoon big spoon, don’t do that,” junior Deon Davis said.
Davis is not the only one who feels this way about PDA. Based on the survey 55.3% of students oppose PDA in school. Many high school students are getting into relationships and experiencing teenage love, but sometimes it can get too out of hand. According to Pew Research 44% of students from the age of 15-17 have dated or currently in a relationship.
“I get that everybody is going to have girlfriends [and] boyfriends,” sophmore Carson Walden said. “It is high school. That’s going to be a thing, but to the point where you have to make out in the hallway, that shouldn’t be a thing. I don’t want to turn the corner and see two kids all over each other.”
Not all couples publicly showcase their love and prefer to keep their relationship outside of the school walls. “[That was] something that we agreed on as a couple when we first started [dating],” sophmore Macy Stroud said. “We don’t want people in our business, especially people we are going to see all the time, and high schoolers are super judgemental, too. When you go to school, you generally see the same people every day, and doing [PDA] in front of those people every day, they are going to know you for it. ‘Oh, it’s that couple again.’”
With the plethora of romance movies set in high schools, it has given the perception that school is a romantic setting. To some students, that’s anything but the case. “I don’t feel like the school is a romantic place. I would rather hold my girlfriend’s hand in a romantic setting and romantic time,” junior Brandon Nguyen said. “School is supposed to be a place where you learn.
The normalization of PDA creates a distracting environment for others, taking away from their learning. With 42.6 % of students reportedly seeing PDA five or more times during the school day, student’s relationships start to interfere with their learning. As one student in an anonymous survey said, “Holding hands/hugs are fine, making out or kissing all of the time is ridiculous, get a room.”